Good Friday: Our False Self Meets Divine Love Crucified For Us

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (NRSV)


See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
Just as there were many who were astonished at him
--so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals--
so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.
Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.



Psalm 22  (BCP, p.610).


Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 (NRSV)

The Holy Spirit testifies saying,

"This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds,"
he also adds,

"I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

John 18:1-19:42 (NRSV)

Blog Reflection

Thomas Keating in his book The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience wrote the following about Philippians 2:6-9.

To become sin is to cease to be God's son-or at least to cease to be conscious of being God's son.  To cease to be conscious of being God's son is to cease to experience God as Father.  The cross of Jesus represents the ultimate death-of-God experience:  "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"  The crucifixion is much more that the physical death of Jesus and the emotional and mental anguish that accompanied it.  It is the death of his relationship with his Father.  The crucifixion is not the death of his false self because he never had one.   It was the death of his deified self and the annihilation of the ineffable union which he enjoyed with the Father in his human faculties.  This was more than spiritual death; in was dying to being God and hence the dying of God: "He emptied himself, and took the form of a slave...accepting even death, death on a cross!"  The loss of personal identity is the ultimate kenosis (page 62).

All of those things that we think make up who we are, today, meet the Divine Reality.   Even our emotional comforts through which we claim our identity are not an end in and of themselves.  If Jesus Christ did not claim any thing to be the source of His greatness as being God, then our false-selves are really baseless.   

The path to being our true-selves is found in letting go of our false-selves.   Our true-selves are not caught up in useless labels, our belongings or even the things we enjoy.  Those things are all temporary, and they are means to our true-selves.  But, they are not an end.   They are evidence of God's presence in our lives.  However, the moment they become our god, or lead us to making ourselves a god, that is why they are false.  

On this Good Friday we remember that Jesus was crucified for us.  In that agonizing death, with all it's humiliation and injustice, Jesus surrenders everything including His relationship with God into God's hands.  "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit."   In these words that we pray every night at Compline, we surrender ourselves into God's hands with confidence, because Jesus prayed these words from Psalm 31 on the Cross.

Jesus gave His life out of love for every human being.  One of my favorite prayers I use during Matins (Morning Prayer) so very often is the one found on page 101 in The Book of Common Prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on
the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within
the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit
that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those
who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for
the honor of your Name. Amen.   

The crucifixion and death of Jesus is our reason for loving and including all people in the life and ministry of the Church.   There is no justification to scapegoat any person for any reason, if we take seriously what this day means.   All efforts to even suggest that the Jews killed Jesus are nothing more that an attempt to blame others for the fact that our sins are what killed Jesus.   Our refusal to love others as Christ loved us, which by the way is a commandment of Jesus we heard last night; is why Jesus was crucified.   If anyone seriously believes that Christians should lord ourselves over any person because we are Christians, then we have missed the message of Good Friday.   It was not Christ's divinity that He held on to to die to save our sins.   It was His divinity that He crucified and handed over for our salvation and redemption.

In the crucifixion and death of Jesus, our false self meets the divine love of God in Christ.  Because Jesus Christ is our Lord, Savior and Redeemer.  God's love for us in Christ was so strong, the God did not even spare God's own Son, but handed Him over for us all. (See Romans 8:32).   May God's love for us in Christ, be our reason to love others in Christ's Name.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your
family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be
betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer
death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer. p.221).

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.100). 

The Fifth Sunday in Lent: The Resurrection and Life

Today's Scripture Readings

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NRSV)

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord."


So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.


Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, `Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act," says the Lord.

Psalm 130 (BCP., p.784).


Romans 8:6-11 (NRSV)
 

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. 

John 11:1-45 (NRSV)
  

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.


Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."


When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."


When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"


Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 

Blog Reflection

There are few conversations that most human beings do not like to have.  One conversation no one likes to talk about is death and/or dying.  Many people in their early years try to get educated, begin a career, start a family thinking that the sky is the limit in life.   Many like to believe that if they only earn enough money, get the best car, eat all the right foods their life will be prolonged.   The reality of life is, that nothing in life is really a guarantee, except for one thing.  Some day, each of us will die. 

The Gospel narrative of the death and raising of Lazarus, brings us with Jesus, to look at death in the face.  Depending on where the reader understands the reading, it seems that when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick and dying, He was not very concerned.  Why would this man who has healed many people from every disease imaginable, drove the money changers out of the temple and raised Jarius' child from death; not rush to the side of Lazarus before he died?  Don't Mary and Martha have a point when they tell Jesus upon arrival after Lazarus died; that if Jesus had been there their brother would not have died?

Jesus, being true to His purpose of being on earth, has other intentions.  In so doing, Jesus shows us all that just when we think we know how things ought to be, God has other plans.   When our lives are turned upside down, that's when God is closest to us.  Even when we do not see or feel anything happening.

At the point that Jesus prays for those around Him, and raises Lazarus, He has told us all how much God loves each of us.  God loves us so very much, that in Jesus Christ: God's perfect revelation of Self, our death is not the last word.  Rev. David Sellery in Speaking to the Soul wrote:

Before Jesus came among us, Death was the grim reaper, the all-powerful terminator come to extinguish us all. Jesus changes all of that. Death is not the dreaded conclusion to a meaningless existence. Our fate is not extinction. Death is a beginning, not an end. It is our passage to a life that will never end. Death came into the world through sin. It was conquered by the Sinless.

In two weeks from today, we will celebrate Easter Day.   Here at the raising of Lazarus, Jesus puts a face and a name on those who have died.  This means that whatever we might be facing in our health, our relationships or in life in general, as long as we put our faith in Jesus Christ and trust in God's mercy, everything and anything is only a passing guest.  It may hurt us to the core, but it does not have the final say over us.  Each day, moment and event that happens to us in daily life is a moment to encounter the saving grace of God.   God's work of salvation in our lives is always at work in and through us. 

Grace and salvation are not just something that are a matter of Baptism or the sinner's prayer.  They are not only about praying, reading or worshiping God.   Grace and salvation are also about seeking the common good of each other, whether it is convenient or not.   The grace of God reaches out through us to the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized.   If Jesus did not even marginalize the dead such as Lazarus, then we have no business marginalizing anyone for any reason.  Jesus shows us that not even the tomb is strong enough to keep God from saving the lost of this world.   So, not even the Supreme Court's horrible decision regarding campaign financing this week, the Archbishop of Canterbury's outrageous statement about LGBT people and Africa or any other reason should keep us from believing what God can do through us out of gratitude for our redemption.

As we walk through this Fifth Week in Lent, let us all take some time to reflect on what the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ means in our lives.   How do we live in our relationships with each other, and those who are different from us in ways that reflect our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?

Whatever darkness or tomb we may be in today.  Whatever it is that pinches our hearts and shakes our minds.  Whatever is going on between us and those we love, making us feel like all hope is lost, Jesus has one question for us. "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly
wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to
love what you command and desire what you promise; that,
among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts
may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.219).

Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life: Give to your
whole Church in paradise and on earth your light and your
peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of
those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at
the last enter with them into your unending joy; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.253). 

Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to thy
never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come,
knowing that thou art doing for them better things than we
can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.831).

 

First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 42:1-9 (NRSV)

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the LORD, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.

Psalm 29 (BCP., p.620).


Acts 10:34-43 (NRSV)

Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Matthew 3:13-17 (NRSV)

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Blog Reflection

One of the greatest challenges of our times, is to find an appropriate balance.  This is as true in the practice of our religion as it is with any other part of our life.  St. John Cassian in the Second of The Conferences wrote about the importance of the Monastic grace of discretion.  This act of God's favor, helps us to avoid either doing too much or too little.   It is quite possible to pray too much, fast too much and do other things so much so, that we fall out of balance.   Not only our bodies and our minds, but also our spirit.

What does this have to do with today's feast of the Baptism of the Lord?

In our Christian Faith, we stress too much the need to repent and be redeemed from our sins, or we over do not caring enough about what we do, and the consequences we bring upon ourselves.   Much of what we do in either extreme comes from where our heart is, and what we are listening to.  Are we listening too much to our hectic schedules of things to do, places to be; while neglecting to listen deeply to God within our hearts?

This celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, tells us that Jesus listened much more to God within His heart.   When He first came to St. John the Baptist, he says to Jesus: "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"   Jesus' response: "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" tells us that though things were out of order in the deepest degree, God did amazing things at that moment.  God's response to Jesus' obedience to the will of God, was to receive the Holy Spirit, and the voice of God is heard saying: "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."   In an act of total contradiction to how things ought to be, God's power and grace shows through Christ's act of deep humility.  The glory of God is manifested (an Epiphany) in Christ Jesus.

As Episcopalians and Anglicans, we are so blessed that our tradition values the Sacrament of Baptism.   As I was making the decision back in 1994 to move from Protestant Evangelicalism to Roman Catholicism, one of the driving issues for me, was reverence for the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist.   When the time came for me to consider a move to The Episcopal Church after my husband Jason and I met, again, I found myself with the greatest concern over respect for the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.   In the Episcopal Church, our Baptism is prefaced with our Baptismal Vows and Covenant found in The Book of Common Prayer on pages 292-294.   It is not enough to be sprinkled with holy water, and given a pretty candle.  There is a recognition of our responsibility to the Sacrament we have shared in.  We are received by faith, and in faith, by God's grace we are empowered to live in the hope and knowledge of salvation.  Our faith is evidenced not so much in our words, but in our response of obedience to the will of God.

As Benedictines, our Vows of Stability, Conversion of Life and Obedience are intimately linked to our Baptismal Vows.  Our life grounded in God, with the commitment to allow the Holy Spirit to change us, by obedience to the will of God in our Superior, is living into our Baptismal Covenant.   Yet, it is important for us to understand that The Rule and all of the things we do, is to help us to search for union with God in a life of continuous prayer.

It is easy for us to focus on the work of striving for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being as an end in itself.  The work of inclusion of LGBTQ people, ending racism, sexism, religious based discrimination, and the many other issues I write about here, are not ends nor are they means to an end.  They are part of deepening our relationship with God, by learning to serve one another out of reverence for Christ, present in all persons.  When Jesus heard the words: "This is my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased" those words were meant for each one of us.   In Christ, we are God's Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

Our life of prayer, praise, living with our spouses, our friends, communities, working for a greater equality of all people, is because in Christ, all of us are God's Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

We balance our life of prayer, study, work and leisure as God's Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

In Christ, we are adopted as God's own, and given new life with new possibilities.  If we are to know what those are, we must be listening to God within ourselves, and in Christ as we meet Him in one another.  

Even when we fail to live in obedience to God, God's grace in Christ forgives and redeems us, again and again, because in Christ each of us have been claimed as God's Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

Therefore, no violence, bias, oppression or scapegoating is appropriate.  All of us are a sacred space in which God in Christ has chosen to dwell by the power of the Holy Spirit.   We are God's Beloved, with whom God is well pleased.

Amen.


Prayers

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River
Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him
with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his
Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly
confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p.214).

Grant, Lord God, to all who have been baptized into the
death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ, that, as we
have put away the old life of sin, so we may be renewed in the
spirit of our minds, and live in righteousness and true holiness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.  (Prayer for All Baptized Christians, Book of Common Prayer, p.252, 253).  

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the
earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those
who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people
everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations
into your fold, pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten
the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for the Mission of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p.257).

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: God's Everlasting Mercy Searches for Us

Today's Scripture Verses

Exodus 32:7-14 (NRSV)

The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said,
`These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."

But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, `It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, `I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Psalm 51 (BCP., p.656)


1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NRSV)

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Luke 15:1-10 (NRSV)

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Blog Reflection

Of all the things that people spend money and time on, none is more precious than searching for someone who's been lost.  Children who were separated from their biological parents have searched to find their birth mother and/or father, because they just want to know them.  People who get separated from their loved one's and want to know where they are, will go at great lengths to be reunited.  

God, our Creator, though humankind still refuses to grow up in our love for God, our neighbor and ourselves, still searches for us.  Our sins that keep us from growth spiritually and socially hurt God very much.  God does not force God's will upon any of us.  God gave us the opportunity to chose growth in grace, or to remain as stubborn children.  Yet, even our decision does not stop God from loving us so much.  God still remains faithful to us, and waits for us to turn back to God.  Not just as a matter of personal spiritual growth, but in our relationships with one another.

The Christian Faith is not a religion that is all to ourselves. Our Faith is about community.  As Christians we share our lives of faith with others in this world, including those who do not share our particular world view.  Yet, we live by faith and not by sight.  In other words, what we believe and practice in our worship and prayer, needs to become how we live.  If as the hymn says; 'There's a wideness in God's mercy..." then why are the hearts and arms of Christians so narrow?

The readings for this weekend are all about God's transforming grace & everlasting mercy.  They invite us into relationship with our God and one another, so to experience and share that mercy.    It is so easy to be the recipients of God's wonderful works, and then forget what God has done and put other things between us and God.  The Israelites in Exodus, did just that.  God's anger was so roused. Yet, Moses interceded for them, and God's mercy was abundant. God's generosity was extended.

In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us that no one is so horrible a sinner, that He will not search for them and bring them back to safety.  We are all like that sheep who get lost, or the coin that is missing, and God gives up everything God has to find us, and bring us back into redeemed relationship with God through Christ.  All of us are counted as precious in God's sight to the point that God gave us Jesus Christ so that we may find our way back to God to live holy lives.   To bring comfort to those who mourn.   To feed the hungry, and give company to the lonely.  To welcome the immigrant and help her/him to find their home among us.  To encourage LGBTQ teens to live as they are without the fear of bullying or religious based violence.  To call for an end to the out of control anti-gay violence in Russia.  To call for justice for the oppressed in those who experience racial and gender bias in their jobs, communities and churches.

God's grace and mercy want so much to transform us and the world around us.  God's Holy Spirit gives us God's gifts so that we can be people of mercy and help others find their way to God.  It begins with the ministry of hospitality and reconciliation, through which God's mercy gives new hope to those in despair.  As recipients of God's mercy, we must give praise, honor and glory to God by sharing with others the mercy that we have received. After all, what could be better in our world of violence, oppression and darkness, than to share the Light of God's everlasting mercy in Christ Jesus, our Lord?

Amen.


Prayers

O God, because without you we are not able to please you,
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct
and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen. (Proper 19: Book of Common Prayer. p.233).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p.260).

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on
the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within
the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit
that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those
who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for
the honor of your Name. Amen. (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, p.101).

 

The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ: God Came to Us In Christ

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 9: 2-7 (NRSV)

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

those who lived in a land of deep darkness--

on them light has shined.

You have multiplied the nation,

you have increased its joy;

they rejoice before you

as with joy at the harvest,

as people exult when dividing plunder.

For the yoke of their burden,

and the bar across their shoulders,

the rod of their oppressor,

you have broken as on the day of Midian.

For all the boots of the tramping warriors

and all the garments rolled in blood

shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

For a child has been born for us,

a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

His authority shall grow continually,

and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time onward and forevermore.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Psalm 96 (BCP. p.725)


Titus 2: 11-14 (NRSV)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Luke 2: 1-20 (NRSV)

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

John 1: 1-14 (NRSV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

Blog Reflection

What is the difference between an acquaintance and a friend?

An acquaintance will show up for dinner or afternoon tea.  We will meet our acquaintance(s) for the occasional drink at the soda pop case or coffee shop.  An acquaintance is often present to us in our great moments, and will often give you compliment after compliment.

A friend knows and accepts who you are on  the inside and outside. A friend shows up for the moments of your most cherished of celebrations.  But, a friend will also tell you not only what you might want to hear, but also things you probably do not want to hear.  Nevertheless, you trust what your friend has to say.  Your friend shows up when you are most vulnerable and feeling at your lowest.  Your friend arrives and lends the greatest help in the midst of your messes and makes herself/himself vulnerable to you when they know you need them the most.

On this Christmas Night/Day God came to us in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son.  In the Word made flesh, God does better than to be the best friend to humankind, God shows God's friendship with humankind by becoming human and kind at the same time.  Despite our continued refusal to try to get along with each other, and even though we cannot seem to make up our minds as to whether we want to mature in grace or not, God does not wait around for us to decide without giving us that sign of how much God loves each and every one of us.  God comes to us, in the midst of our mess.  God comes to make God's Self vulnerable and helpless.  "Take care of me" God says as the Christ Child lays there in the midst of a cave full of animal mess, without even a bed to sleep on.  Only a manger is able to be a resting place for Jesus.  But, God is no the least bit concerned about that. God only knows that in Jesus, he is helpless and must rely on Mary and Joseph to provide him with a place to sleep and safety from a cold winter's night.  Jesus does not have a royal bed chamber to sleep in, with servants waiting to bring him the best of the best.  Jesus has shepherds come and pay homage to him, with a chorus of angels singing "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God's people on earth."  Jesus has come to us as the friendship of God, to bring with him God's unconditional love made vulnerable and available in our own helplessness.  God comes in Christ, to share with us the news that by God's friendship, approaching God through Christ is not only possible, it is real, it is life-saving and redeeming.

Here on this holy night/day, we can stop here for a while to rejoice and celebrate this amazing event.  God came just when we needed Jesus to arrive.  We are invited to come and adore Jesus to welcome him into our hearts, families and communities.  It is okay if you are not properly dressed.  It is okay if you are not white, wealthy, employed, straight, a man, a powerful person or some person who is most privileged in society or the Church.  You are welcome into God's presence as Christ becomes one with all humanity, in all of our circumstances with the opportunity to find healing and wholeness, in the power of God's peace.

In a recent article about the horrible shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Bishop Ian T. Douglas wrote:

And this God who is with us, the Christ-child, is not a God insulated from the hurt and pain of the world. No, Emmanuel is a God who knows suffering; who was born to a homeless teenage mom and whose birth was attended by barn animals and marginalized sheep tenders. This God-with-us and his parents would then become refugees in Egypt to escape the slaughter of other innocent children at the hand of King Herod. And the same God-with-us, Jesus, would die a torturous death upon the cross as a religious and political revolutionary. We Christians, however, hold onto the truth that three days later Jesus rose from the dead. When confronted with the question "How could God let this happen?" we can proclaim that God is a God who is with us, who suffers with us, and who embodies the promise and reality of new life in the face of death.

The Christ event at Christmas is not going to change our world from violence to complete peace.  Injustice, oppression, inequality and bias will still be here with us, as long as we think Christ is our free pass for doing nothing.  God came to us in Christ, to help us know that doing world changing things in the Name of God for the benefit of all humankind is possible, with God's help.  What can change is our own personal sense of peace with God and asking God to help us to discern what role we should play in renewing the face of the earth by the power of the Holy Spirit.   Each person will do some thing that God has kept hidden from the world, only to be carried out by each one of us, individually and in community with others. 

In his Christmas message to the Episcopal Church in Minnesota, Rt. Rev. Brian Prior IX Bishop of Minnesota wrote:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it . . ."

So proclaims the Gospel of John.

Those searchers, who undoubtedly traveled through challenging landscapes and situations, pressed forward — because of the promise of a star in the sky.

Amidst cold dark days or deep personal tragedies, we are reminded by these sacred words that the light of Christ will shine through. As such, we must press forth toward the light.

But this light is not out in some distant galaxy — it is within each one of us. As John of the Cross writes in the "Living Flame Of Love:"

How gently and lovingly
You wake in my heart,
Where in secret you dwell alone;
And in your sweet breathing,
Filled with good and glory,
How tenderly You swell my heart with love.

As we celebrate Christmas with friends, family, Church communities and ourselves, may the Light of Jesus Christ shine through us to renew God's friendship with all people.   May our spending time with the Christ Child, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the angels, give us the joy to sing Gloria in excelsis Deo. 

Amen


Prayers

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth
of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully
receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence
behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, p. 212).


O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the
brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known
the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him
perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he
lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Collect for Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, p.212).


Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to
take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure
virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made
your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed
by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom
with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and
for ever. Amen. (Collect for Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, p. 213).

Monday in Easter Week: What Happened to the Resurrection Event?

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 2:14,22-32 (NRSV)

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the multitude, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know-- this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,

`I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;

therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

moreover my flesh will live in hope.

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One experience corruption.

You have made known to me the ways of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

"Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying ,

`He was not abandoned to Hades,

nor did his flesh experience corruption.'

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.

Psalm 118: 19-24 (BCP, p. 762).


Matthew 28: 9-15 (NRSV)

Suddenly Jesus met Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, "You must say, `His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

Blog Reflection

What started out as really good news to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, turns out to be an event kept under wraps as the soldiers are paid to tell a different story than what actually happened.  It is amazing what happens when an event that is true, becomes captive to bribery.  

What happens to the resurrection event in our own lives? 

Is the highest celebration of the Church year allowed to bring us and others the joyous news by our having been changed from the inside out?  

Do we respond to the resurrection event by loving our neighbor better than we did before Lent began? 

Did the resurrection do more for us than just going to church with the Easter people who go once a year, because we experienced a spark in our faith, through our behaviors and attitudes towards others? 

Did the Easter event become something we don't act on or talk about, because we are just too busy, or afraid of what others might think?

Sometimes when I read posts of the awful things that happened during Holy Week and Easter on the part of Christians, I wonder if the resurrection has changed us at all.  It is said that this past weekend that Cardinal Dolan used his media power this past weekend to blast President Obama on his policy about contraception concerning religious institutions and the health insurance for their employees.  If the resurrection is a real event, then why was it suddenly put away to make a mockery out of the Crucified Christ in women and President Obama?

This past week and weekend, and now this Easter Week is full of joy and celebration as we greet the Risen Christ who comes to us to say "Peace be with you."   Are we offering peace to each other by more than just the sign of peace at the Liturgy, but seeking to bring peace to our neighbors?

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people have experienced Lent, Holy Week and Easter as the time of serious bashing.  In the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, I am sure many Parishes read that horrible prayer that the Archbishop asked to be prayed to support the amendment that bans marriage equality for LGBT people.  What might Easter Day have been like to be at Mass celebrating the resurrection, then suddenly rejected as an LGBTQ person when that prayer was said?

The Easter event of the resurrection is about God's justice and mercy.  It means that all of us have been so richly loved by God, that God's Son endured the shame of the Cross and triumphantly rose from the dead to redeem all of us for salvation.   God embraced all of us in this Easter celebration, by helping us know that death is not the last word.  There is resurrection, there is hope.  As LGBTQ people, the resurrection event is our Easter story, as it is for all who consider Christianity as our religion, spirituality and meaning for living.   The love we share for our partners, friends, families, communities, churches etc, is because God first loved us, and showed us the Way through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

How are we telling the resurrection story today?  

Are we telling the story as God's Easter people?

Or, have we allowed the story of the Paschal Mystery to be kept silent, because we let someone pay us off to keep quiet?


Prayers

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with
awe the Paschal feast may be found worthy to attain to
everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Monday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222-223).


Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222).


O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).